55

That, if the Creature chance to have Occa-
fion

To undergo a Thorough-reformation,
It might be born conveniently about,
And by the meanest Artist copy'd out.
This done, he fent a Journeyman Sectary,
H'had brought up to retrieve, and fetch,
and carry,

To find out one, that had the greatest
Practice,

To prune, and bleach the Beards of all Fa-
natics,

And set their most confus'd Disorders right, 60 Not by a new Design, but newer Light; Who us'd to fhave the Grandees of their Sticklers,

65

And crop the Worthies of their Conventi

clers;

To whom he fhew'd his new-invented
Draught,

And told him, how 'twas to be copy'd out.
Quoth he, 'tis but a falfe, and counterfeit,
And fcandalous Device of human Wit,
That's abfolutely forbidden in the Scripture,
To make of any carnal thing the Picture,

Quoth th' other Saint, you must leave
that to us,

70 T'agree what's lawful, or what fcandalous:
For, till it is determin'd by our Vote,
It's either lawful, fcandalous, or not;
Which, fince we have not yet agreed upon,
Is left indiff'rent to avoid or own.

75

Quoth he, my Confcience never shall

agree

To do it, till I know what 'tis to be;
For, though I use it in a lawful Time,
What, if it after fhould be made a Crime
'Tis true, we fought for Liberty of Con-
science

80 'Gainst human Constitutions in our own

85

Senfe ;

Which I'm refolv'd perpetually t' avow,
And make it lawful, whatfoe'er we do;
Then do your Office with your greatest
Skill,

And let th' Event befall us, how it will.
This faid, the nice Barbarian took his
Tools,

To prune the Zealot's Tenets, and his
Jowles ;

Talk'd on as pertinently, as he fnipt,
A hundred times for every Hair he clipt;

Until the Beard at length began t' appear, 90 And reaffume its antique Character, Grew more and more itself, that Art might' strive,

And stand in Competition with the Life:
For fome have doubted, if 'twere made of
Snips

Of Sables glew'd and fitted to his Lips;
95 And fet in such an artificial Frame,
As if it had been wrought in Filograin,
More fubtly fil'd and polisht than the Gin,
That Vulcan caught himself a Cuckold in;
That Lachefis, that spins the Threads of
Fate,

100 Could not have drawn it out more delicate, But b'ing defign'd and drawn fo regular, T'a fcrup❜lous Punctilio of a Hair,

Who cou'd imagine, that it shou'd be portal To selfish, inward-unconforming Mortal? yet it was, and did abominate

105 And

The leaft Compliance in the Church or

State;

And from it felf did equally diffent,

As from Religion, and the Government.

I find among Butler's Manufcripts feveral other little Sketches upon the fame Subject, but none worth printing, except the following one may be thought paffable, by way of Note.

This reverend Brother, like a Goat,
Did wear a Tail upon his Throat,
The Fringe and Taffel of a Face,
That gives it a becoming Grace,
But Jet in fuch a curious Frame,
As if 'twere wrought in Filograin;
And cut fo ev'n, as if 't had been
Drawn with a Pen upon his Chin.
No topiary Hedge of Quickfet
Was e're fo neatly cut, or thick fet;
That made Beholders more admire,
Than China-plate, that's made of Wire;
But being wrought fo regular
In ev'ry Part, and ev'ry Hair,
Who would believe, it should be portal
To unconforming-inward Mortal ?
And yet it was, and did diffent
No les from its own Government,
Than from the Church's, and deteft
That, which it held forth, and profeft;
Did equally abominate

Conformity in Church and State;
And, like an hypocritic Brother,
Profeft one thing, and did another;
As all things, where th'are moft profeft,
Are found to be regarded leaft,

PROLOGUE

TO THE

Queen of ARRAGON,

Acted before the Duke of York,

Upon his Birth-Day.

SIR,

IR, while fo many Nations ftrive to
pay

The Tribute of their Glories to this Day,
That gave them Earneft of fo great a Sum

Of Glory (from your future Acts) to come;

To give the Reader a fort of Key to the Drift and Meaning of this Prologue, it is neceffary to inform him-That King Charles II. at his Restoration, granted two Patents, one to Sir Wil. Davenant, and the other to Henry Killigrew, Efq; for the forming of two distinct Companies of Comedians. Thefe were diftinguished by the Names of the King's Servants and the Duke's Company. The former acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane; the latter at the Duke's Theatre in Dorfet Garden. Thefe, as C. Cibber in his Apology informs us, "were both in high Eftimation with the Public, and fo much the "Delight and Concern of the Court, that they were not only sup"ported by its being frequently prefent at their public Prefentations, "but by its taking Cognizance even of their private Government, "infomuch, that their particular Differences, Pretenfions, or Complaints, were generally ended by the King, or Duke's perfonal "Command or Decifion-Thefe two excellent Companies, adds

"the